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2 The Current Surveys: Challenges and Opportunities
Pages 13-30

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From page 13...
... by federal agencies: the Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development (the federal funds survey) and the Survey of Federal Science and Engineering Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions (the federal support survey)
From page 14...
... Conducted since the early 1950s. Survey of Federal Federal An annual census survey of the same agencies Science and departments and that respond to the federal funds survey, which Engineering agencies that report only if they had obligations for science Support to conduct and/or and engineering to universities, colleges, or Universities, support R&D nonprofit institutions during the past fiscal year.
From page 15...
... One option offered for modernizing the survey is to more intensively use microdata in administrative records that are part of the standardized, automated reporting systems in the key federal agencies that provide the bulk of federal support to academic and nonprofit institutions. The 2005 report also briefly considered issues regarding the taxonomy of fields of S&E used by these surveys, recommending that OMB initiate a review of its Classification of Fields of Science and Engineering, last published in 1978 as Directive 16, and that OMB appoint the SRS division of NSF as the lead agency for the effort.
From page 16...
... Independent agencies: Agency for International Development; Appalachian Regional Commission; Broadcasting Board of Governors; Consumer Product Safety Commission; Environmental Protection Agency; Federal Communications Commission; Federal Trade Commission; General Services Administration; Library of Congress; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; National Archives and Records Administration; National Science Foundation; Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Smithsonian Institution; Social Security Administration.
From page 17...
... reported that these estimates are computed as a percentage of current-year spending. Agency representatives told CRS that projecting by broad fields of S&E is, at best, an "educated guess" (Congressional Research Service, 2000, p.
From page 18...
... . TABLE 2-3 Variables and Definitions of Items Collected on the Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development Variable Definition Outlays for R&D and R&D Outlays (expenditures)
From page 19...
... Obligations for R&D to Universities and colleges are institutions engaged in universities and colleges for providing resident and/or accredited instruction for at least field of S&E (detailed field for a 2-year program above the secondary school level. These past fiscal year, broad field for data are reported only by the six agencies with the largest current and next years)
From page 20...
... In its 2000 study, the Congressional Research Service observed that "while SRS provides agencies and survey respondents with definitions of each data item collected on its surveys (e.g., basic research, applied research, and development, etc.) , agencies, as well as individuals within agencies, interpret the definitions differently" (Congressional Research Service, 2000, p.
From page 21...
... Timeliness of Release Although the federal funds survey enjoys 100 percent response rates, this is achieved, in part, because of the SRS policy that the data are not released until all agencies have reported. This policy puts SRS at the mercy of the slowest respondent and can severely delay publication of the data.
From page 22...
... The growing role of research involving more than one discipline is a serious challenge to any taxonomy of fields and therefore to gathering, analyzing, and using federal funds data based on a single-field taxonomy. There are four primary drivers of interdisciplinary research -- the inherent complexity of nature and society, the desire to explore problems and
From page 23...
... . The heightened momentum for interdisciplinary research dates from the late 1970s, roughly the same time as when the current taxonomy used in the federal funds survey was developed.
From page 24...
... The current taxonomy includes eight broad field categories, each including a number of detailed fields. The broad fields are life sciences, psychology, physical sciences, environmental sciences, mathematics and computer sciences, engineering, social sciences, and other sciences.
From page 25...
... Computer sciences Computer sciences (total) Mathematics and computer sciences, n.e.c.
From page 26...
... SRS convened an interagency working panel meeting (hosted at SRI International on October 21-22, 2004) , sponsored a study of agency reporting practices, and commissioned a detailed internal review of a proposed social sciences taxonomy.
From page 27...
... . The study of agency reporting practices by Macro International documented interviews with representatives of the 16 major agencies that report on the federal funds survey (Macro International, 2008)
From page 28...
... SURVEY OF FEDERAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SUPPORT TO UNIVERSITIES, COLLEGES, AND NONPROFIT INSTITUTIONS The federal support survey is an annual census survey of the same agencies that respond to the federal funds survey, but they report only if they had obligations for S&E to universities, colleges, or nonprofit institutions during the past fiscal year (the time frame of this survey)
From page 29...
... For example, the federal support survey asks the agency that distributes the funds to a university to report the transaction, whereas the federal funds survey asks the agency transferring the funds to the agency that ultimately sent them on to report the transaction. This survey also uses a web-based collection tool akin to the FEDWeb system described above.
From page 30...
... Agencies find it difficult to report funding for each college or university in the six categories requested. SUMMARY The federal funds survey and the federal support survey are challenged and fragile, but they are not broken.


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